Key holders and key rings have been used almost as long as keys themselves, and like keys, the devices used to hold a set of keys together have become more complex and intricate.
Traditionally keys have been collected on a standard key ring consisting of a helical coil of several (usually two) turns of spring wire having chisel-shaped ends designed to be pried up with a knife blade or a strong fingernail to permit the insertion of a key over the thus exposed end of the coil and sliding of the key around the coil until the eye of the key surrounds all of the turns of the helix. Such standard key rings have usually been cold-formed to press the three coils into a smooth layered torus and polished to prevent snagging cf the ring when carried in a pocket, and to facilitate sliding a key around the helical coil when adding or removing a key from the ring.
Some of the key holders presently in use are heavy, bulky, mechanically complex or have sharp edges which can damage clothing. Still others are difficult to use and can cause broken fingernails on attempting to add or subtract keys. These are all undesirable features.
In addition to any one or more of the noted undesirable features, known devices do not fully satisfy the current demand for convenience. For example, with the increase in popularity of automatic car washes, valet parking, and the like, the ability to easily remove a key or keys from the key holder has made convenience an important element in the usefulness of a key holder. A key holder with keys attached which can be easily removed from or added to the ignition lock key of a running automobile engine is also a great convenience not found in key holders presently in use. Also, to be able to quickly and easily remove any number of keys from a key holder in any order of priority for whatever reason is desirable. A solution to avoiding undesirable features of key holders presently in use and providing the convenience which contemporary society demands is the subject of this invention. The present invention, however, may also be adapted to retain and release other objects, such as paper clips, which are configured in a closed loop or may be orificed in a manner permitting a thin elongated element to be passed therethrough.